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But, he wanted to be ready in case Jennie’s questions raised red flags. If the shit hit the fan, then at least they had what they needed. They’d replace the clothes and other things later.
“I’m going. I’ll call you when we’re on the plane.” He didn’t wait for them to answer. He needed to get to Jennie.
Since she’d never suspect anything like this, she might ask one too many questions. Their undercover work was never dangerous. It had always been almost a joke to call it undercover.
He suddenly realized the position he’d put her in, the danger she could be in right now. It was always possible someone would resent the way she brought information to light on a job. She could be on the receiving end of retribution or a vendetta at any time.
Never mind the way he’d just walked her right straight into a situation with people who were very likely quite dangerous. He felt as if someone had sliced him open and gutted him. If anything happened to Jennie, he would never forgive himself.
Chad jogged along the secluded path and up to the main building of the resort with only one thing on his mind. Jennie. Getting to her and getting her to safety.
Chapter 18
Jennie crossed the lobby to the front desk, glad to see her friend Tracy was working there. She’d spent many days chatting with Tracy and pulling bits and pieces of information from her. She genuinely liked the woman. She seemed to work hard and actually care about the experience the guests at the resort had.
Jennie slipped into airhead mode.
“Hi, Tracy!”
“Hi, Jennie. How are you today?” Tracy asked, her smile wide.
Jennie pouted in an overly dramatic way that would have had her cringing if she’d seen it on another woman. The staff here was trained to cater to those pouts instead of cringe. “We only have three days left here and Chad mentioned wanting to go out on a fishing boat. It always seems like all the boats are out. Are they all booked?”
Her friend’s face fell. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid they are. The fishing trips book several weeks in advance. In fact, most people book them when they book their reservations for the resort. Apparently, sitting and waiting for a fish to bite a hook is quite popular,” Tracy said, wry humor in her voice.
“Oh no. I really wanted to take Chad fishing. You guys don’t have other boats you could bring in or another location we could take a trip from?”
If Tracy thought the questions were odd, she didn’t show it. She just shook her head. “I’m afraid not. We only have the three boats and they fill up fast. Our dock isn’t big enough for more than that.”
Jennie feigned disappointment and said good-bye. As she walked away from the front desk, she headed toward the staircase that would bring her out to the hallways leading to some of the rooms.
She’d seen a doorway marked private right before the stairs and wondered if there were offices back there. Maybe even the nephews’ offices.
With a quick peek over her shoulder to ensure that Tracy was distracted by one of the other guests, Jennie slipped through the door and walked down the hall of the private area.
There were offices on each side of the hallway, but they were all quiet and empty. Except for the office at the end. Jennie heard voices coming from that one and she recognized the speakers immediately. The Masters brothers.
She walked quietly down the carpeted hall ’till she stood close enough to hear the conversation. She didn’t know the voices well enough to tell right off which one was Matt Masters and which one was Alan Masters, so she listened as the conversation developed.
“Shit! There has to be ten thousand in here this time,” one voice said.
“So wh-wh-what?” came the reply. That must be Alan.
He had a stutter that was so mild most of the time, it was barely noticeable, but something was making it more pronounced now. Nerves, maybe?
“We can’t keep running these large amounts through here. Someone will notice if we don’t stick to smaller numbers,” said the other voice, which Jennie now surmised must be Matt.
“We have to run through whatever Rick tells us to. He w-won’t let us stop now,” said Alan.
“He has to let us stop. We didn’t agree to this much. And, I’ll tell you one thing, brother. There’s no way all of this is for him anymore. No way he’s taking in ten thou a week. I’m telling you, he’s got us cleaning money for other people now. If we’re gonna take that kind of risk, I want a bigger cut.”
Jennie bit her cheeks to keep from gasping and backpedaled down the hallway. She and Chad had gotten into something a lot more dangerous than they were used to.
Well, at least than she was used to. Chad dealt with this kind of thing all the time when he was in the military, but she sure as hell didn’t have this kind of experience.
Jennie’s breathing suddenly sounded too loud in her ears—as if it would fill the hallway and alert the brothers to her presence any minute now.
In her rush to get away from a conversation she shouldn’t be listening to, she tripped over a decorative table, knocking over the vase of flowers that sat at its center. The clunk of the thick glass hitting the hard wood seemed to echo around her.
